Averett men’s basketball places four in double-digit scoring, holds off Ferrum down stretch in ODAC win
Ferrum (4–6, 2–2 ODAC) took a late 72–71 lead on Johnny Franklin’s 3-pointer at the 1:59 mark. Unlike the other night against Virginia Wesleyan, where Averett (6–4, 2–2) couldn’t finish down the stretch, the Cougars surged back ahead on senior Bryson McLaughlin’s jumper in the paint with 1:31 left in the game …
DANVILLE, Va. — The Averett University men’s basketball team fought off a pesky Ferrum College squad in the final minutes to secure a thrilling 75–72 win over its rival in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action Wednesday night at the Grant Center.
Ferrum (4–6, 2–2 ODAC) took a late 72–71 lead on Johnny Franklin’s 3-pointer at the 1:59 mark. Unlike the other night against Virginia Wesleyan, where Averett (6–4, 2–2) couldn’t finish down the stretch, the Cougars surged back ahead on senior Bryson McLaughlin’s jumper in the paint with 1:31 left in the game.
The Panthers couldn’t convert on the other end and McLaughlin pulled down the defensive board, but Averett couldn’t convert a 3-point attempt and Calvin Washington came down with the big rebound and Ferrum called a timeout with 27 ticks on the clock. Junior Jordan Lewis followed with a big defensive play for the Cougars, recording a steal that led to sophomore Caleb Coleman’s fastbreak layup in the paint that made it 75–72 with 10 seconds on the clock.
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Ferrum tried to respond with a quick 3-point attempt, but the failed shot sailed out of bounds, giving the ball back to Averett with 5.8 seconds left. An errant Cougars’ inbounds pass gave the Panthers one last opportunity but a contested 3-point attempt clanked off the rim and landed in the hands of junior Jason Sellars II, giving Averett its first ODAC win on its home court.
Four Cougars finished in double-digit scoring. Sellars finished with a team-high 16 points while redshirt sophomore Jem Lowrance knocked down a team-high three, 3-pointers to finish with 15 while Coleman added 13 and senior Jalen Rowell rounded the double-digit scorers with 11. Lewis paced Averett with four assists while Rowell added three.
The Cougars won the battle under the boards, outrebounding the Panthers 35–24. Sellars led the way with eight while Coleman and senior Miles Pauldin finished with five apiece. Rowell and Lowrance pulled down four rebounds apiece as well.
Deshone Hicks and Marcus Neal paced Ferrum with game-highs of 19 apiece while Washington added a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Hicks recorded a game-high six assists as well while Washington added a pair of blocks and four steals on the defensive end.
Averett appeared to be on its way to breaking open a close game after stringing together a 12–4 run that gave the Cougars a 62–49 lead on Rowell’s 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining. Ferrum proved to have no quit, countering with an 18–5 run that knotted the score at 67–67 on Neal’s jumper in the paint with 4:43 left in the contest. Averett responded with four straight points of its own to take a 71–67 edge on Rowell’s jumper in the paint. Once again, the Panthers responded, scoring five of the next six to take a 72–71 lead at the 1:59 mark.
Averett returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Fredericksburg, Virginia, for a non-conference matchup at №22 University of Mary Washington at 6 p.m.
